Intersecting women’s wellness with herbalism

By CLOEY CALLAHAN
Posted 1/27/21

Sasha Geerken has connected her love for herbalism with women’s wellness and reproductive work. She is a doula, herbalist and midwifery assistant who offers “holistic reproductive …

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Intersecting women’s wellness with herbalism

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Sasha Geerken has connected her love for herbalism with women’s wellness and reproductive work. She is a doula, herbalist and midwifery assistant who offers “holistic reproductive wellness” consultations and formulates organic botanical body products.

Geerken relocated to Newburgh a few years ago, after she found herself wanting to make the east coast her home again. She lived out west in Colorado while she was attending the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism and also lived in Montana for some time.

“I love the landscape here,” said Geerken. “As an herbalist, it’s something about the trees and plants that make me feel so at home here. I connect to the land so much more strongly here than I ever did out west. I am so happy to be here and I don’t want to move.”

Geerken took a liking to herbalism for how many different aspects there are to it with everything from medicine making to growing the herbs yourself. She loved being in the world of herbalism and it gave her a new perspective. When she attended the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, she was surrounded by other like minded women.

“Through herbalism and working with women I started to learn what a doula was and what it was to work with women through their pregnancies and giving birth,” said Geerken.

The intersection of the two allowed her to take her love for herbalism and use it to help women throughout each process of their lives.

“Herbalism helps so much with all of it,” said Geerken. “There is so much strength you can find within the community too.”

Geerken works out of Atlas Studios in Newburgh, where she makes all of her products and meets with clients. She shares the studio with Megan Galante, who is in the home textile field, and Michelle Bath, who teaches weaving workshops.

Her online shop, Sasha Botanica, offers everything from a milk bath mix, seaweed face masks, sea salt scrubs, herbal hair and body oil, body butter and more. She has special herbal blends for postpartum, menopause and fertility. Everything is completely organic and uses sustainably harvested herbs. She often uses the plants that she grows directly in her garden for these products, or works with local farmers in the area. Additionally, she sells ceramic ware with the popular “boob pots.”

“The boob pots were an unexpected little thing,” said Geerken. “I started taking a ceramic class through Newburgh Pottery, who is also at Atlas Studios. I was doing a lot of postpartum and breastfeeding work at the time. I thought I’ll put some boobs on these. Everyone started to really like them.”

She described them as a representation of “our strength and valuing our bodies and accepting our uniqueness.”

“Each body needs something different,” said Geerken. “Each pot is different, just like our bodies.”

Last year, Geerken had an intern from the Newburgh Free Academy who was a highschooler that was interested in learning to become a doula. Geerken was able to mentor the student and introduce her to how to get started in the profession.

While COVID-19 hasn’t made it possible for this year, she hopes to do something similar in the future. On top of that, she wants to hold future workshops around plants, reproductive wellness and botanical dyed fibers.

“All of my work connects,” said Geerken. “It’s almost like weaving a giant braid. The strands of birth work, herbalism, farming – all of it empowers you to take responsibility for your health and wellbeing and encourages you to help empower others as well. So much of the work I have done, whether it is birth work, herbal work or farm work, is rooted in being educated about your body, making informed choices about your body, knowing you have options, knowing you have choices, but most importantly, knowing that you are not alone.”

For more information about Sasha Botanica or to shop online, visit sashabotanica.com.